Improvement in board banks for fattening oysters



, F'. LANG. Board-Bankier FatteninggOysters.

No. 212,389. Patented Feb. 18,1879. f

UNITED STATES PATENT OEEIoE.

FREDERICK LANG, OFYBALTIMORE, MARYLAND.

IMPROVEMENT IN BOARD BANKS FOR FATTENING OYSTERS.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 212,389, dated February 18, 1879; application filed October 19, 1878.

Banks for Fattening Oysters; and I do hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, which will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same, reference 'being had to the accompanying drawing,

and to letters of reference marked thereon, which form a part of this specification.

My invention relates to the combination ot' board bank and water-tight float with iiat bottom, proper arrangement of ballast, and with stem and stern adapted to easy navigation, and having'hinged ports or valves on each side thereof at the watenline, to be opened or closed by means of levers or tackles worked from above the deck, by the opening of which the board bank with its load of oysters can at will be lowered beneath the surface of the water, and by closing which the oat is made water-tight, and easily raised to the surface by the use of pump attachments.

Figure 1 is a side elevation of board bank and oat.

A is the board bank, upon which the oysters are spread for fattening. B is the float. C is a port opening from the side of the float at the water-line, arid opened or closed by tackles, levers, or other well-known and suitable appliances, worked from above the board bank through D the xed hollow tubes D D D, of wood, iron, or other suitable material, of suitable length, open at the top, of which three or more are adjusted at convenient places on the deck of the iioat, and communicating with the interior of the float for the working of such tackle, levers, or appliances, and for the pump attachments for pumping out the water from the water-tight compartment.

Prior to my invention the common method of fattening oysters was to unload them from the oyster-vessels into small boats; then to take them to the board banks on the fattening grounds, and unload the oysters again upon the board banks; then, after a sufficient time has passed for fattening them, and when the tide is out, the oysters are shoveled back from the board banks into the boat-s; then they are again loaded into the vessels for conveyance to market.

By the method described the oystershave to be handled three or four times, at great labor, expense, and delay, with injury in hand ling, in addition to the loss of time in waitin g for the tides.

By my improved board bank the oysters, when loaded thereon, are transported to the fattening-grounds, and there, by sinking the ioat in any suitable depth ot' water regardless of the tide, the oysters are left beneath the surface of the water for the time necessary for fattening them, when (the oat bein g pumped l out) the load of oysters is raised abovethe surface of the water, ready for transportation at once to the market without any handling at all, thereby better preserving the oysters and greatly saving labor, expense, and time.

I claim as my inventionrEhe combination of board bank for fattening oysters, and float with its attachments, of hinged ports or valves at the water-line, ot' hollow tubes open at the top and of a length to reach above the surface of the water when the float is sunk for workingvalves and pumps, by which combination the board bank witli its load of oysters can be lowered into and raised above the water at will, and be transportable without displacing the oysters, substantially as described, for the purposes aforesaid.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing as my own I affix my signature in presence of two witnesses.-

FREDERICK LANG. W'itnesses:

Trios. M. Nonnrs, W. H. Masson. 

